[고령화 시대 실버스포츠] ① badminton
On the 8th of last month, the Maetan Multipurpose Gymnasium in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do. It was early at 7:00 am, but there were already piles of white shuttlecocks in one corner of the gym. Members of the Suwon Senior Badminton Club, who lit up the gymnasium an hour ago, were in the middle of a practice match in pairs in doubles.
The Suwon Senior Badminton Club, which celebrated its 4th anniversary this year, has well over 170 members. In 2019, small groups scattered around Suwon were gathered and made into a large-scale club. Members, who each boast decades of badminton experience, come to the gym from 6:00 am every morning and exercise for 3 hours each morning. Age ranges from 60’s to 80’s.
The oldest member of the club is Kim Ho-soon, who was born in 1939 and is 84 years old this year. He, like the other members, has been playing badminton for a long time. The reason for holding the racket is not special. While taking a walk on a hiking trail, I saw elderly people my age playing badminton under an outdoor tent, and I started with a recommendation. Since it is a team sport, it was especially good to build friendships after exercise. Mr. Kim said, “I think badminton is better because I can get along with people.”
Originally, there are many members who like sports and settled on badminton after wandering from one sport to another. Lim Soo-gil (81) said, “I’ve tried everything from riding a bicycle to playing golf, but badminton was the most fun.” He cited the great effect of exercise in a short period of time as the charm of badminton, and said, “After I started playing badminton steadily, I definitely feel that my lower body strength and physical strength have improved.”
As it is a fast and intense exercise, the risk of injury is not small. Practice before a competition is especially dangerous. Mr. Lim said, “I am often stimulated by opponents I met in competitions.” . Members who have consistently won prizes by participating in national competitions every quarter are sweating while looking forward to winning the National Elderly Athletics Competition, which will be held on the 10th.
After badminton became part of my daily life, my confidence increased a lot. Mr. Kim said, “I like that he looks younger and healthier than his peers,” and said with pride, “His family also supports his club activities.” As he said, most of the members had a straight posture and looked at least 10 years younger than their actual age. Ms. Kim smiled and said, “Everyone from children to grandchildren is surprised when I hear that they are participating in the contest.”
Members said they would like to continue playing badminton as long as they can move their bodies. When asked if it would be overpowering, he said, “I still want to do it for the rest of my life,” and revealed his passion for badminton, saying, “I don’t know how good and thankful it is to be able to exercise in an indoor space even if it snows or rains.”
Despite their enthusiasm, financial support is lacking. As there are many members, there are many times when I want to hold a contest or event, but so far, there has been no support, so the members have been collecting money. Park Seo-yeon, Public Relations Director of Suwon Senior Badminton Club, said, “It seems that badminton is particularly lacking in public sports facilities compared to other sports.” There is no change until now,” he regretted.
Suwon = Reporter Nuri Lee [email protected]
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2023-09-03 20:16:34
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